For all Americans, Thanksgiving is a special day of the year. It is a holiday when, with family and friends, we remember to be thankful for our many blessings. It is also turkey day! We all love to eat a tender and juicy well cooked turkey roasted in the oven.
You don’t have to be American to love the subtle taste of this bird; you just have to like good “cooking” and good “eating”. I am half French and I can tell you they love a good turkey meal in France too.
Thanksgiving is celebrated in many countries: Canada, Australia and even the Netherlands to name a few. And it doesn’t have to be a special day for people to enjoy a good turkey dinner, at any time of the year and all over the world, gourmet people find it delicious. But a good turkey takes time to cook and time is a very rare commodity nowadays. We are all working long hours to make ends meet.
Grandma’s old-fashion and traditional turkey recipe is certainly succulent but for busy and overworked people like me, there is a faster and easier way. If you follow these few steps, you will have a great juicy unstuffed turkey ready on the table in less than three hours. This french recipe is fast and easy and simply delicious.
For our friends who do not use the American System, all measures are both in English and Metric units.
This recipe is for a 14 to 18 pound turkey (6-1/2 to 8 kilograms).
In less than three hours you will be able to serve your family and guests an amazing turkey.
Ingredients For Making The Best Roasted Turkey Fast:
- 14 to 18 pound frozen turkey.
- 2 tablespoons herbes de Provence. You can get them at your nearest Safeway.
- 10 tablespoons of butter.
- 2 cups of Fleur de Sel de Camargue. This salt is the best to use as it has a very special violet aroma. I buy it online from: “SaltWorks” but you can find in every good department store.
- 1 cup olive oil.
Directions For Making A Great Roasted Turkey Fast:
The night before the day you want to cook your turkey you should defrost the bird by immersing it in a large container filled with salted water (simply pour your two cups of Fleur de Sel de Camargue in the bucket and mix well). This aromatic salt will perfume the turkey and help it stay tender during the cooking process. Now just follow these few simple steps for a great roasted turkey.
- Preheat your oven at 500 degrees Fahrenheit (260 degrees Celsius).
- Microwave the butter until it is fully melted.
- Add the olive oil and the herbes de Provence to the melted butter.
- Brush generously your turkey with the mix as to perfume and prevent it from drying.
- Put in oven for 45 minutes.
- Turn temperature down to 325 degrees Fahrenheit (about 163 degrees Celsius) and shield the breast with aluminum foil to prevent overbrowning.
- Baste every 30 minute.
- Cook for 2 hours or until cooked (the internal temperature of the breast should read 170 degrees Fahrenheit or 77 degrees Celsius).
Take it out from the oven and let it rest for 30 minutes before cutting.
You are done. As promised it was fast and simple. Your family and friends will never guess that it was so easy, and they will ask for more as it is delicious.
Bon appetit!
